Our library summer reading program officially kicked off just a few days ago, and the kids have already started earning prizes. Sometimes a dangling carrot is a great thing...wouldn't you agree?! I'm not sure if it is the notion of a friendly competition between siblings and friends or the small trinkets they receive, but for whatever reason, the annual summer reading program has unmatched ability to morph all my kids into read-a-holics.
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Here's what we'll be reading in the next few days and weeks. Just so you know, I'll be reading for the sheer pleasure of devouring words. But, I'm sure if my kids were being honest, they'll be logging "minutes read" in anticipation of possibly winning a bike at the end of the summer. (We just wrapped up our school year. And since I have officially dubbed my kids "graduated" to the next grade level, I have indicated their "going into" grade on this list.)
Read Aloud- Everybody
Bright April- This is a very old book that is currently out of print. It is about a young African American girl growing up in the Germantown section of Philadelphia around 1940. We have not started it yet, but I have heard wonderful things about it and can't wait to crack it open.
It is a relatively short book, only 87 pages, so we will probably be moving on to our next read aloud selection, The Great Turkey Walk, before the month is through.
Jamie- that's me!
The Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion- With four boys, The Hubs and I value an educational style that promotes leadership skills, initiative, and self-motivation. This home companion is based on the educational model presented in the original Thomas Jefferson Education and gives practical HOW TO suggestions for implementing that style of learning into your child's education.
Praying- This is the second on the list of discipleship books a dear mentor and friend has put together for me to read.
Talking With Your Daughter About Understanding Boys- Dannah Gresh is one of my favorite "parenting girls" writers. I love her Secret Keeper Girls kits and will be reading through a series of four books in preparation for the next stage of parenting. My daughter is only ten and has not yet shown any signs of interest in boys. But I recognize that she will eventually...someday. I want her to know that growing an attraction to the opposite sex is a natural, God-ordained stage of development, and like all seasons of life, has to be viewed through a Biblical lens. So, I'm preparing...
Sweetie Pea-6th grade
Smoky the Cowhorse- (Mom assigned book)
Anna's Fight for Hope: The Great Depression- (Read for fun book) The Sisters in Time series is a Christian version of the popular American Girl books. Each book focuses on a unique time period of American history through the life of a fictional girl.
Super Boy- 3rd grade
Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims- (Mom assigned book)
Weapons of Ancient Times- (Read for fun book) Don't let the gruesome title scare you. This is actually a very easy to read and informative look at battle strategies and war tools such as weapons, ships, and blockade walls of ancient people groups including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese.
Blonde Warrior- 2nd grade
Red, White, and Blue- (Mom assigned book)
Flappy and Scrappy- (Read for fun book)
Greased Lightning- Kindergarten
Step Into Reading Phonics First Steps, set 2- This is a series of graduated phonetical readers that comes in a boxed set.
So, that's what we'll be reading this month. How about you? What's in your book basket?
Congrats on finishing the school year! We've got one more week left :).
ReplyDeleteMy kids both say that Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims is their favorite book whenever anyone asks, no matter how long it's been since they read it. So good choice for your little guy!
Our read-aloud right now is Farmer Boy. We're working our way through the Little House series after having done a study guide on Big Woods last month.
Individually, I'm reading The Invisible Man by HG Wells and as soon as that's done, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stephenson. I'm on a classics kick :). My 10yo is reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (dad assigned). My 7yo is reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis (his choice). Their next book will be the opposite: the 10yo will get something of his choice, and the 7yo will have something assigned (his will be The Sign of the Beaver).
Blessings to you!
Do you have any recommendations for books for boys on human development, especially with a Christian perspective? My son is 10. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI would highly recommend a series of books that is about puberty and sex ed from a Christian perspective called Learning About Sex from Concordia Publishers. There is a series for girls and a series for boys. The series starts out with a book for 3-5 year olds that just talks about how boys and girls are made to be different by God. There are 3 or 4 more books that cover the basics of how babies are made, body changes/puberty, and purity.
DeleteWhile I've come across a few books about body changes that are great for girls, I have yet to find any that deal specifically with body changes and boys. The ones I have found are riddled with gross humor and sarcasm.
My 10 year old son is currently reading Boyhood and Beyond. It's not about physical changes, though. It deals with growing a boy's character. He loves it. He's reading it aloud to me and I've been very impressed. I'd highly recommend it!
Thank you! That has been my problem as well, trying to find something specifically for boys. I will check into both of those recommendations. Thank you so much!
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